Is Homework a Hassle in Your Home? Use these Three Tools to Make It Easier.

Time Management. Be sure your child has enough time to do homework, and you have enough time to help if needed. To be sure, download this schedule template and fill it in with your family. You may want more than one. Maybe fill one in for each member of the family. By doing so, you may see that your kids’ days are completely booked up between school and after school activities. They have no down time to relax or play much less do homework.

Homework Helper. Be sure that your children aren’t spending too much time on homework. Even though homework may be beneficial, it can also be counterproductive. The following are appropriate time spans for homework per grade: 1^st – 10 minutes, 2nd -20 minutes, 3rd – 30 minutes, 4^th – 40 minutes, 5th -50 minutes, 6th – 60 minutes, 7th and 8th – 60 to 90 minutes, 9^th thru 12^th – approximately two hours. If your child is spending more time doing homework than is recommended, find out why. Maybe, she needs some extra help, maybe there’s too much homework, maybe he’s not completing classwork. To help with homework problems, read my free homework advice booklet.

Organize Papers. If you can’t find the homework sheets because you and your child are drowning in school papers, you need to get three basic items: a good three-hole punch, a large three ring binder and dividers. With your child, at a convenient time for both of you, sort out all the old school papers from his backpack and binders. Discard papers that definitely will not be needed in the future. Put the remaining papers in the binder under each subject. Do this weekly to stay organized.

Now, with a little help from you, your child can stay on top of homework.

And it’s always kind of embarrassing. After all, you’ve been there for language arts, for social studies, even the dreaded science project.

Time to call his teachers. Explain exactly what’s going on. Be honest. Tell your child’s teacher you can’t do math.

One teacher I know who knew several students were having problems had them come in during their lunch hour for extra help.  She even set up two after-school classes every week for students who needed help.

Tutoring is also a great option if math continues to be a problem.

What’s worked at your house?  Leave us a comment.

Jack, a nine year old, often spends all afternoon and evening doing homework, sometimes until eleven o’clock at night. In addition, he always needs help with it, so his mom and dad got him a homework helper from a tutoring service.

Jack’s Dad: “When I was in fourth grade I came home from school and played ball with the kids on the block. Then I ate dinner with my family, did my homework and went to sleep. I have two masters degrees; I did fine. The only thing Jack has time for is homework and dinner. My mother was a teacher and she said Jack has more homework in one night than she used to give in one week.”

Homework usually didn’t begin until seventh grade. But, even then most kids didn’t need to carry home all their books home from school. They didn’t need a homework helper because they got their homework done at school during study hall.

Even high school kids could usually get their homework done and still watch “Dick Clark’s American Bandstand” on TV  They also had enough time to be in the school show, or in the marching band, or on a sports team without having a complete meltdown. Rarely did parents have to help them.

Maybe it wasn’t enough for today but it certainly wasn’t too much. How much homework should my child have? 

The optimum amount of homework for average children depends on their grade in school.  But too little and they don’t have a chance to practice what they learn in school; too much and they click-off their brains and simply push pencils around to get it done.  And it shouldn’t be so difficult that parents have to help every night.

You can use this guide to judge whether or not your child has too much or too little homework. grades K-2, 10-20 minutes; grades 3-6, 30-60 minutes; grades 7-12 will vary considerably, depending on subjects, projects due, tests, and so on, but a reasonable average is about two hours, with more on weekends, as needed, for major projects and exams.

What can I do if I don’t agree with the amount of homework assigned?

Children need homework to succeed in school.  If you don’t agree with the amount of homework or are concerned that it’s too difficult, talk to your child’s teacher. If your child’s teacher isn’t responsive, talk to the school principal. Assertive parenting on your part helps.

Your child’s success in school depends not only on what he does in school but how well he’s doing with homework.

Got homework strategies that work at your house or questions? Leave us and our readers a comment.